Jan 19 news LIVE: CBI questions TVK chief Vijay for over 6 hours; no fresh summons
Catch all the important news updates from India and across the world
Live Updates
- 19 Jan 2026 4:25 PM IST
Double-decker bus overturns on Lucknow-Ayodhya highway, 12 injured
A private double-decker bus overturned on the Lucknow-Ayodhya highway in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh on early Monday (January 19), injuring 12 passengers, including two women. The injured are undergoing treatment at a district hospital.
The passengers alleged that the bus driver had been speeding from the beginning, and was presumably under the influence of alcohol.
According to the police, the double-decker bus, travelling from Gorakhpur to Delhi with 50 passengers on board, went out of control and overturned near a BJP office in Narepur village around 3.00 am on Monday. The passers-by, hearing cries of the passengers trapped in the bus, informed the police control room.
According to the police, the bus driver and conductor fled from the spot after the accident, and a search is underway to trace them. Police made arrangements to send the passengers who were safe to their respective destinations and impounded the damaged bus for investigation. - 19 Jan 2026 4:11 PM IST
Rahul Gandhi presents Priyadarshini Literary Award to M Leelavathy in Kochi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday (January 19) presented the 'Priyadarshini Literary Award' to veteran writer, educationist and literary critic M Leelavathy (98) in Kochi.
She has won several awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award for her literary works. Born in Guruvayur, she currently lives in Thrikkakara in Ernakulam district.
Rahul said Leelavathy is an icon not only for Kerala but for the entire country.
“It is really inspiring that she wakes up at 3 am, writes and reads at this age,” he said.
He also said that he was impressed by her comments on the “culture of silence”, adding that he understood the culture of silence as a culture of cowardice.
“I could see the spirit of Kerala in her. She does everything alone and does not need anyone’s help,” he said. Accepting the award, Leelavathy thanked Rahul.
“I see India safe in the hands of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi,” she said. Leelavathy donated the prize money to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
- 19 Jan 2026 4:08 PM IST
ICC asks Bangladesh to confirm T20 World Cup participation by Jan 21 or face replacement
The ICC has asked the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to decide on its participation in the T20 World Cup in India by January 21 or "risk being replaced by another team" in the tournament beginning February 7.
Despite the back and forth between ICC and BCB, no solution has been found to the crisis that was triggered by the removal of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the 2026 Indian Premier League on BCCI's instructions for unspecified "developments all around."
Citing security concerns and national pride, the BCB has announced that its national team won't be travelling to India for its group games in Kolkata and Mumbai.
However, with the event schedule already finalised, the ICC has shown reluctance to shift Bangladesh's games to co-host Sri Lanka, where the marquee India-Pakistan clash will be held as per the mutually agreed arrangement for ICC events till 2027.
In case Bangladesh continue to be unyielding, the replacement team would most likely be Scotland based on current rankings. Bangladesh are scheduled to play three leagues games in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.
In their last meeting with ICC officials in Dhaka, the BCB proposed that Bangladesh be swapped with Ireland in Group B alongside Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman and Zimbabwe. Such a move would allow the team to be based completely in Sri Lanka for all its league engagements.
- 19 Jan 2026 4:04 PM IST
BJP leaders file Nitin Nabin's nomination for party president post
Bharatiya Janata Party set the ball rolling for the election of its new president with top party leaders submitting nomination papers of Nitin Nabin, the party's 45-year-old working president, for the post on Monday (January 19).
BJP President Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over a set of Nabin's nomination papers to K Laxman, the Returning Officer for the election, in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and senior leaders Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupendra Yadav and Kiren Rijiju.
Later, other state leaders submitted another set of nomination papers in support of Nabin, who was appointed as the working president last month.
Nabin is likely to be elected unopposed as the BJP's 12th national president, with top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, backing his candidature.
The BJP national president is elected by an electoral college comprising representatives from the party's national council and state councils, with the process overseen by its national returning officer.
- 19 Jan 2026 3:56 PM IST
IMF raises 2026 global growth forecast to 3.3 per cent
The International Monetary Fund expects that global growth will come in at 3.3% this year, same as in 2025 but up from the 3.1% it had forecast for 2026 back in October.
An unexpectedly sturdy world economy is likely to shrug off President Donald Trump's protectionist trade policies this year, thanks partly to a surge of investment in artificial intelligence in North America and Asia, the 191-nation lending organisation said in a report out Monday (January 19).
The world economy "continues to show notable resilience despite significant US-led trade disruptions and heightened uncertainty,'' IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas and his colleague Tobias Adrian wrote in a blog post accompanying the latest update to the fund's World Economic Outlook.
The U.S. economy, benefiting from the strongest pace of technology investment since 2001, is forecast to expand 2.4% this year, an upgrade on the fund's October forecast and on expected 2025 growth — both 2.1%.
China — the world's second-largest economy — is forecast to see 4.5% growth, an improvement on the 4.2% the IMF had predicted October, partly because a trade truce with the United States has reduced American tariffs on Chinese exports.
India, which has supplanted China as the world's fastest-growing major economy, is expected to see growth decelerate from 7.3% last year (when it was juiced by an unexpectedly strong second half) to a still-healthy 6.4% in 2026.
- 19 Jan 2026 3:46 PM IST
IMF raises India FY26 growth forecast to 7.3 pc
The IMF on Monday raised India's growth projection to 7.3 per cent for fiscal 2025-26, up 0.7 percentage point from its October forecast, on the back of better-than-expected performance of the economy.
The Washington-headquartered multilateral lending agency has also revised India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast to 6.4 per cent for fiscal year 2026-27 beginning April 1, 2026, from its earlier estimate of 6.2 per cent.
"In India, growth is revised upward by 0.7 percentage point to 7.3 per cent for 2025 (fiscal FY26), reflecting the better-than-expected outturn in the third quarter of the year and strong momentum in the fourth quarter," it said in its World Economic Outlook (WEO) update.
Growth is projected to moderate to 6.4 per cent in 2026-27 and 2027-28 as cyclical and temporary factors wane, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.
According to India's statistics ministry, GDP during April-September of 2025-26 registered a growth rate of 8 per cent, on the back of a robust 8.2 per cent growth in July-September period.
The Indian economy is likely to expand by 7.4 per cent in the current fiscal, according the First Advance Estimates released by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The growth during 2024-25 fiscal was 6.5 per cent.
On inflation, IMF said it is expected to go back to near target levels after a marked decline in 2025 driven by subdued food prices.
The Reserve Bank has a target to maintain consumer price index (CPI) based headline inflation at 4 per cent, with a margin of 2 per cent on the either side.
The IMF update further said that the global growth is projected to remain resilient at 3.3 per cent in 2026 and at 3.2 per cent in 2027.
The forecast marks a small upward revision for 2026 and no change for 2027 compared with that in the October 2025 WEO.
In emerging market and developing economies, growth is expected to continue to hover just above 4 per cent in 2026 and 2027.
Relative to the projection in October, growth in 2025 for China is revised upward by 0.2 percentage point to 5 per cent, the IMF said.
Global headline inflation is expected to decline from an estimated 4.1 per cent in 2025 to 3.8 per cent in 2026 and further to 3.4 per cent in 2027, it said.
- 19 Jan 2026 3:08 PM IST
TMC MP Saugata Roy hospitalised
Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy has been hospitalised after he complained of uneasiness, a family member said on Monday (January 19).
The veteran politician, who would be turning 80 this August, was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata on Sunday (January 18) night.
"His condition is currently stable, and he is under medical supervision," an official at the hospital said.
He had also felt unwell during a Parliament session in March last year.
Despite recurring health issues, the senior parliamentarian was present during the recent winter session of Parliament.
- 19 Jan 2026 3:06 PM IST
Rahul Gandhi skips defamation hearing in Sultanpur court; next hearing fixed for Feb 20
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi did not appear before the MP-MLA court in Sultanpur on Monday (January 19) in connection with a defamation case against him, following which the court fixed February 20 as the next date of hearing, a case lawyer said.
Rahul was scheduled to record his statement before the court. However, his counsel informed the court that the Congress leader could not be present as he was in Kerala.
Taking note of the submission, MP-MLA court judge Shubham Verma granted Rahul a final opportunity to appear in person and fixed February 20 for further proceedings.
The defamation case was filed in October 2018 by local BJP functionary Vijay Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj in Kotwali Dehat area of Sultanpur district. Mishra alleged that during election campaigning in Karnataka in August 2018, Gandhi had made objectionable remarks against then BJP president Amit Shah.
- 19 Jan 2026 3:06 PM IST
Unnao rape: Delhi HC dismisses Sengar's plea to suspend sentence in death case of survivor's father
The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to suspend the 10-year sentence awarded to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the case of the death of the Unnao rape survivor's father while in custody.
"No grounds are made out for grant relief. The application seeking suspension of sentence is dismissed," said Justice Ravinder Dudeja.
The judge observed that although Sengar had suffered a long incarceration, relief could not be given on grounds of delay, as it was partly because he filed multiple applications in his appeal against his conviction.
"Purpose would be served if the appeal is heard expeditiously," added the court while listing the matter for hearing on February 3.
On March 13, 2020, Sengar was sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a trial court, besides imposition of a fine of Rs 10 lakh, in the case of the death of the survivor's father in custody.
The trial court had said that "no leniency" could be shown for killing a family's "sole bread earner".
It had also awarded a 10-year jail term to Sengar's brother, Atul Singh Sengar, and five others for their role in the custodial killing of the rape survivor's father.
- 19 Jan 2026 2:00 PM IST
Karur stampede case: Vijay at CBI office, faces 2nd round of questioning
TVK chief and actor-turned-politician Vijay is at the Central Bureau of Intelligence's (CBI) headquarters in New Delhi on Monday (January 19), for the second round of questioning in connection with the Karur stampede case.
After a break for Pongal in the week prior, he arrived in the morning at the agency’s headquarters on Lodhi Road in a fleet of luxury SUVs.
